DC Unveils 'Year of the Villain' in 25 Cent Issue (Exclusive)

The special comic book issue will feature work by Brian Michael Bendis, Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV.

This May, DC will bring on the bad guys in a special comic book preview of what lies ahead over the next 12 months, as it unveils DC’s Year of the Villain.

Featuring new material by Brian Michael Bendis, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Alex Maleev, Jim Cheung and Francis Manapul, the 25-cent issue will include short stories tying in with continuing and upcoming stories in the Justice League and Superman titles, as well as continuing the storyline of Batman Who Laughs in preparation for a new, as-yet-unrevealed series to be launched this summer.

Additionally, the issue will preview a future storyline in the ongoing Batman comic book, offering clues about the upcoming “City of Bane” showdown between the Dark Knight and a number of his many super-foes.

The 32-page DC’s Year of the Villain will be released May 1, ahead of that weekend’s Free Comic Book Day celebrations in participating comic book stores. The main cover for the issue comes from Dark Nights: Metal artist Greg Capullo, with variant covers available by Maleev, Cheung and Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, each spotlighting a different DC bad guy. (Lex Luthor, the Batman Who Laughs, and Cheetah, respectively.) You can see all four covers below.